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Silver Amazon Of House Castellon- Chapter 2: A Family of Prodigies
🕑 Added 2024-04-19 13:00:07 +0000 UTCThree Years Later
In the middle of the main courtyard of the Castellon Estate, stood three individuals; two men and a young boy.
The young boy was a six-year-old Maximilian Castellon. He was in the middle of his daily magic lesson, using his mana to perform the wind spell he had been learning to do properly.
The first man was Jeremy, the father of two standing with a look of pride as he watched the scene in front of him.
The second man was noticeably older and shorter than the lord of the Duchy, just barely reaching the middle of Jeremy’ forearm. He was bald with a long white beard and wearing a dark blue cloak that covered his whole body.
This man was Grand High-Tier Mage, Ivius Brightwood. He was one of the many powerful mages in service to the nobility of Valyra.
For over sixty years, Ivius had been in service to House Castellon as the head mage, and he had been the one to teach the late Lord Castellon and his children how to use mana.
Maximilian held both hands out in front of him, his body facing the forested area before the trio. A light green glow began to overtake Maximilian’s arms, an intricate circle forming in front of his hands. "Wind Magic: Sky Cutter!”
Air began to circulate around Maximilian’s hands before pushing out of the magic circle and moving to form a sharp crescent moon shape, flying out of the magic circle at breakneck speed.
It only took a few moments before the spell hit the tree closet to them, a loud slicing sound echoed through the courtyard once the spell hit the tree, a large gash was created in the middle of the tree.
“Haha! Well, done my boy!” Jeremy said as he placed his hand on Maximilian’s shoulder.
“Lord Jeremy is right, young master. Only a week after being taught the spell and you already have figured out how to use it.” Ivius said as he made his way to the damaged tree, “I know it will not take long before you are strong enough to fully cut down the tree.”
“Thank you, Grand Mage Ivius.” Maximilian said, his chest puffed out as he took in his father and teacher's praise. “But I know I can do better!”
Just as Maximilian was about to try the spell again, he was stopped when his father pulled him back.
“Max, I know that you want to continue improving but you must remember that our bodies are delicate things. You have already been practicing for an hour now, you do not want to push yourself too far.” Jeremy said, wanting to get his point across.
Mana, which was the source of all magic, could be depleted from the body when used excessively, leading to exhaustion. One’s mana will replenish itself when the body gets to this point, but this would take time.
And while humans were capable of using and absorbing mana from the environment around them, this could overtax the body when used excessively, and could lead to injury or even death.
The last thing we need is for Max to start treating his body the same way Alex does. Jeremy sardonically thought.
“Yes, father.” Maximilian said, a pout forming on his lips.
He did not feel as if he were pushing himself too far but knew that trying to argue with the two men would be pointless.
As the group made their way back to the castle, the Duchess and her daughter were outside waiting for them.
“Have you mastered the spell, little one?” Alexandra said to her son, her smile growing when Maximilian ran to her.
Maximilian threw his arms around Alexandra’s waist and returned her smile. “Not yet, but I’m getting close!”
“Max, Max!” Maximilian looked to his left and smiled at his sister.
Kayana Castellon had grown over the last three years, becoming quite a precocious toddler. And as she grew older, Kayana became more enthralled by her family’s abilities.
“Did you see what I did, Yana?” Maximilian asked.
“Yes! I wanted to do magic too!” Kayanna exclaimed.
She was always amazed whenever she saw people around her using mana, even if it was for the most mundane reasons. And now she wanted to be able to do these feats herself, to use the mana that was flowing through her veins.
Jeremy let out a laugh before lifting his daughter into his arms. “Perhaps when you’re a little bigger.”
Kayana crossed her arms and glared at her father, “That’s not fair! Max’s not big!”
“Hey! I’m big, bigger than you!” Maximilian yelled, taking offense at what his sister said.
It was not surprising that Kayana would say this, despite being only three years old she was quite big for her age, standing only a few inches shorter than Maximilian. Alexandra was positive that Kayana would one day end up being just as or even taller than her brother.
“Small Max! Small Max!” Kayana started chirping as she saw how annoyed he was becoming.
“Kayana, leave your brother alone. You know you are just proving me right that you are not old enough to start practicing.” Jeremy lightly scolded.
It was this that caused Kayana to stop, the young girl immediately closing her mouth as she stared at her father nervously. “Sorry, papa.”
Jeremy was not able to maintain his composure for long, soon cracking at the sight of Kayana’s eyes tearing up. “Oh, darling! I’m sorry! Papa didn’t mean it!”
Alexandra rolled her eyes at her the scene, “Why am I not surprised that you fold so easily when it comes to our children?”
“Our children are adorable little angels.” Jeremy argued, hugging Kayana tightly.
“They’re going to eat you alive once they are older.” Alexandra said, giving her husband a deadpanned look.
“Does this mean I can still learn magic?” Kayana asked, hoping that she had not lost her chance.
Alexandra sighed, “You can, but do not get upset if you are unable to do much, Kayana. Magic is a power that takes years to learn let alone master.”
Kayana vigorously nodded her head, “I won’t get upset, I promise!”
“Alright then. Ivius.” The Duchess said, looking towards the Grand High-Tier Mage.
“Of course, my lady.” Ivius said, moving away from the family and walking towards a nearby tree, plucking a leaf from one of its branches.
Ivius then walked over Jeremy and Kayana, handing the left to the young girl.
Kayana tilted her head to the side but took the leaf from the older man. “Why do I need a leaf?”
Ivius smiled at the girl, “It is for your training.”
“Really?” Kayana excitedly asked.
“Yes, the leaf is important for beginners. Well, any brittle object can be used, but this is to draw out your mana.” Ivius explained.
“How do I do that?” Kayana asked.
“Focus on trying to rip the leaf without tearing it with your hands.”
Before Kayana could ask how to do that again, a maid walked outside making her way towards the group, her eyes focused on the Duchess.
The housekeeper was a woman with pale skin and of short stature, standing far shorter than the lady and lord off the manor. She was dressed in a typical maid fashion; a black dress that ended at her knees with white apron over it, black tights, and a black cap that covered most of her dirty blonde hair.
But what drew the most attention about her were her golden orange eyes and the small scar that cut through her lips on the left side of her mouth.
“My lady, Marquess Summerset has left a message on the communication orb.” The maid stated.
Alexandra groaned, “What does that fool want now?”
“He is requesting your help. In his words, bandits have accosting one of the towns under his control, he had sent a group of auramancers to apprehend them, but they were all killed.” The maid explained.
“And now he’s begging me to come and save him. Is that correct, Samantha?” Alexandra drawled; her annoyance was evident on her face.
“That would be correct, my lady.” Samantha replied.
Jeremy smiled, knowing what his wife was thinking, “We must go to Marquess Summerset’s aid. He has asked us for help, if we ignore him the other members of the peerage will accuse us of weakness.”
Alexandre let out another groan, becoming more annoyed as she could not just ignore the call. “You are right. Although, I could also use this to get a favor out of the bastard.”
Jeremy stared at his wife blankly, “And because it's the right thing to do and maintains our status.”
“Of course, of course.” Alexandra waved him off, “Samantha, watch over the children. Jeremy, Ivius, with me.”
“I could go in your place, my lady. Having you go would be overkill for a group of bandits.” Ivius offered.
“Normally yes, but Summerset is no broke minor lord. If auramancers that he personally hired were all defeated that means either the auramancers were fucking garbage or the bandits are stronger that Summerset gave them credit for.” Alexandra explained.
“Could you please stop cursing in front of our children, Alex?” Jeremy sighed; he knew that his wife was not like most if any noble ladies and that was one of the reasons he loved her, he would still prefer it if she kept a lot of her crudeness and violent tendencies away from their impressionable children.
Alexandra looked away from her husband and at Maximilian and Kayana, “Oh, right. Do as mommy says, not as she does. Okay?”
“Okay.” Maximilian and Kayana said in unison, but Jeremy was sure neither of them took the halfhearted warning seriously.
Soon the three had quickly left the garden, each going to retrieve what they would need to make the trip to the town of Ravenfort.
~X~
An Hour Later
“You can quit, you know?” Jeremy said from his place on the ground, the boy had sat down a while ago as he and Samantha continued to watch Kayana.
“No! I going to do it!” Kayana exclaimed, tightening her grip on the leaf, her eyes bulging as she stared at it, straining her body to force a reaction.
“The young master is correct, mistress. It takes time for one to utilize mana.” Samantha added, still watching diligently over them.
Kayana ignored the woman, intent on ripping the leaf with just her magic. She wanted to use mana, to be just like her parents and her brother; a great practitioner of magic.
“I didn’t draw out my mana until a week after I started. So, you won’t do it today.” Maximilian said, trying to placate his sister.
This had the opposite effect, making Kayana want to accomplish this goal even more, trying even harder to try and force the mana out of her.
“Relax, mistress.” Samantha said to her, kneeling in front of the young girl as her face started to turn red from the force of her efforts. “Magic is not something to be forced, you must let it come naturally. Mana is a part of you and the world around us.”
Kayana’s brow furrowed as she looked at looked the woman, thinking over what was said to her.
Relax? Kayana thought, taking a deep breath and loosening her stance and her grip on the leaf.
The young girl closed her eyes and continued to take deep breaths, focusing on trying not to force the mana out of herself.
She did not see the faint white glow that began to surround her body, the light pulsing with each breath she took.
Maximilian jumped to his feet, he was about to call out to his sister, telling her that she had done it, only to be stopped by a hand on his shoulder.
Don’t. Samantha’s gaze told him, and the two quickly looked back at Kayana.
Swish
Was faintly heard around them and the two looked down at Kayana’s hands, seeing that the leaf had been perfectly cut in two.
Kayana sighed, “I don’t think it worked.”
“Oh, it definitely worked.” Maximilian exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear.
Kayana looked down at her hands seeing that the leaf had been cut and began to jump around, excited about her accomplishment. “I did it I did it!”
How did she summon her aura so quickly? She just started today, less than an hour ago, I have never seen or heard of someone doing so this fast. Samantha thought to herself.
“Did you see, Samantha? I did magic!” Kayana said, smiling at the maid.
Samantha gave her a small smile of her own, “Yes, I did, my mistress. I am positive that the lady and lord will be most proud when they return.”
Kayana’s smile grew impossibly larger at the thought of her parents being proud of her, wanting to show them what she had done as soon as possible.
This means I can start training too! This is the best day ever! Kayana thought.
~X~
Ravenfort, Valyra Empire
Well, this was fucking boring. Alexandra thought to herself as she brought her sword down, flicking away the blood from the blade.
She had thought after hearing about a group of ten paid auramancers being killed, that the bandits who did it would be stronger, but they were not, the woman did not have to put much effort into cutting them down.
The academy must have gone to shit since I was a student if they allowed people to graduate while being capable of losing to such pathetic foes. They were not worthy of being called auramancers.
It took them about two hours to reach their destination, and as she, her husband, and former teacher entered the town, they immediately spotted the group of twenty-five bandits. They had not left after killing the auramancers, instead staying behind to further terrorize Ravenfort.
It did not take long for the three to deal with the group, cutting them down to just one single man. The man who by eyewitnesses was the leader of the group.
And now as she walked towards her husband, looking down at the bound brown-haired man kneeling at his feet, Alexandra did not see why.
His pale face was bloody and bruised, Jeremy giving the man no mercy as he used his magic to beat him into submission.
The man began to laugh as he saw her approach, “Well, if it isn’t the Demon Duchess herself: Alexandra Castellon. Of course, that fucker Summerset would beg for the help of bitch like you.”
He obviously had more to say, but a strong gust of wind immediately slammed into the side of his face, sending him flying onto his back and tumbling a few feet away.
“You should know not to speak in such a manner to those who are so high above you. And you do not qualify to even look Lady Alexandra in the eye.” Ivius glared at the man, slowly putting down his outstretched hand, the pulsing glow that it was emitting slowly disappeared.
“It matters not, Ivius. We’ll soon be rid of his retched presence.” Alexandra stated, not caring about his rudeness. “Now, tell me, bandit. Why did you attack this town? And what grudge do you hold against the Marquess?”
The bandit could not deny that he was terrified of the Castellon matriarch. She cut a fear inducing figure in her in sleek full body armor black armor, on the center of the chest plate was the Castellon coat of arms; a pair of swords crossing each other in the middle of a yellow sun on a field of black. The long red cape that loosely hung off her shoulders, and her black helm with two horns on each side.
She truly does live up to her moniker of a relentless and bloodthirsty demon from the pits of hell. He thought.
“Don’t you care about the man you so viciously beat down? My name is Victin.” The man remarked.
“I did not ask, nor do I care. Now tell me; why did you attack this town?”
The outlaw laughed once more, “Attacked the town? Tell me, Demon, who else besides Summerset’s goons was harmed today?”
The Duchess’ silence was more than an answer, causing the bandit to laugh harder.
“Exactly! You nobles are all the same; assuming the worst of everyone you think is beneath them!”
Alexandra rolled her eyes, “Yes, I'm such a bad person for assuming that you attacking and killing a group of auramancers meant that you did the same to others. But that still does not explain the why of this all.”
Victin stopped laughing and glared at Alexandra, “Because that man is a murder and a thief! My comrades and I were going to liberate this country from his evil ways!”
Alexandra became intrigued, “What did the Marquess do? How has he murdered and stole?”
Before she could respond, the sound of numerous hooves hitting the cobbled streets could be heard, becoming louder with each passing second.
A group of around fifteen people all on horseback approached, and leading the charge was Marquess Walter Summerset.
Walter Summerset was a short man with blond hair that fell over his shoulders in long curls but was visibly thinning at the top. His pudgy peach toned head was covered in sweat as the harsh sun beat down on him, or it could have been due to the expensive purple and black robes and fur that he was wearing. Although this did not hide his large and round body, his fat folds evident even through the thick clothing.
Alexandra felt bad for Summerset’s horse knowing that it could not have been easy having to constantly carry his horribly obese body such far distances.
This thought was only added to as they watched a man from Summerset’s group climb down from his own horse while carrying a stepstool. The man then placed the stepstool in front of Summerset’s horse, and they were all forced to watch as the Marquess struggled to swing his other leg to the side and climb down.
“Duchess Castellon! I thank you for answering my call and defeating this scoundrel and his crew of murders.” Walter exclaimed once he finally touched the ground.
“Marquess Summerset. There was no trouble, still I question why you called me and not a closer lord?” Alexandra stated, staring at the lord coldly.
Walter had to keep himself from flinching under the weight of the Duchess’ stare. “Well... after hearing what these outlaws did to my men, I knew that formidable force was needed. If you had not answered my plea my people would have suffered even more.”
In other words, no one else wanted to help you and ignored your calls. Alexandra thought.
She was aware of her reputation; she was a demon, a monster, the Emperor’s mad and vicious dog, no one would dare seek her out unless it was necessary out of fear of drawing her anger.
“Ravenfort had nothing to fear from us!” Victin shouted, foaming at the mouth as he took in Walter’s form. “It is you who should be terrified, Summerset! For your evil and treacherous ways have been a plague on us all!”
The Marquess looked down at Victin, his expression a mixture of smug satisfaction and disgusted contempt. “I am an upstanding citizen of the empire, unlike you and your ilk. Although I should not be surprised that a murderer such as yourself is also a liar.”
Victin rolled onto his stomach and pushed himself onto his knees, laughing maliciously. “I am no liar, only a man who seeks justice. And I will get it with your death.”
“And how to do figure you are going to kill me?” Walter smirked, pointing his chin at the mana canceling chains wrapped around Victin’s body.
Victin continued to laugh, “I don’t need my magic to do it, you fucking pig!”
He then shimmied his hand down into his pocket, pulling out a small cylindrical object which held a small button at the top.
“A bomb!” Alexandra roared, pushing Summerset out of the way as she moved towards Victin.
“Your evil ends now!” Victin smirked, pushing the button down with his thumb.
Time seemed to slow as a golden light overtook Victin’s body, shinning the area in its blinding glow. Alexandra looked towards her husband and former teacher, seeing that they too had moved into action.
The three formed a triangle around Victin, stretching their hands out towards him.
“Unison Expansion - Protection Magic: Great Barrier!” They shouted as one, their mana combining to enhance the strength of the spell.
A large dark purple barrier formed all around Victin, moving to shape into a giant orb. A loud and powerful explosion was heard the second the barrier solidified; a shimmer could be seen gliding over the outside in tandem with the explosion.
“That was close.” Jeremy said after a few seconds, relaxing now that the danger was gone.
The spell began to dissipate, slowly disintegrating and crumbling away into nothingness. Once it was gone a large crater was now visible, in the middle of which were the remains of Victin.
Of much was left of the man; only a large splotch of blood that had been seared into the ground due to the strength of the bomb.
“But why would he take such drastic measures?” Ivius asked aloud, still surprised by Victin’s willingness to get rid of Summerset.
“Yes, why would he do this?” Alexandra asked, looking directly into Summerset’s eyes.
“He was clearly deranged, a mad man who cared only for blood and destruction. Trying to understand the reasoning of someone like that.” The Marquess argued but the trio noticed how he blatantly refused to look Alexandra in the eyes, staring at the ground as he spoke.
“So, you know nothing about the claims he made against you? That you are a murderer, a liar, and a thief.” Jeremy questioned, staring at the shorter man suspiciously.
“Of course not!” Walter exclaimed, “Those are the words of a man who sought to besmirch me! I have done none of what he has accused me of.”
Alexandra continued to stare at him, causing him to sweat profusely, still unable to meet her cold and steady gaze.
The Duchess then sighed, “It matters not. A full investigation will have to be done here regarding Victin and his men, whatever the truth is, we will find out.”
Walter began to sweat even more, his body tensing up, “My lady, I am sure-”
“Ivius.”
The Grand Hight-Tier Mage stepped forward, his closed his eyes and a shimmering orange glow encompassed his body. The glow quickly slipped off him like water against a stone and spread out over the area.
“The town has been scanned, my lady.” Ivius said once the spell had dissipated.
“Scanned?” Walter asked aloud.
“It would take too long to search every in of town along with the bodies of the deceased, so it is easier to use magic to record everything here for later inspection.” Ivius explained.
“If that is all, Marquess, we will be leaving.” Alexandra said walking in the direction of their own horses.
“I-I yes, of course. I humbly thank you for your assistance, Duchess Castellon.” Walter said, inwardly relieved about no longer being in the woman’s suffocating presence.
Alexandra stopped, turning her head slightly and staring at him from the corner of her eye. “Just remember that you now owe a favor, Marquess.”
Alexandra turned on her heel and continued on her path, Jeremy and Ivius falling into step with her.
“Do you think he guilty of what Victin accused him of, my lady?” Ivius asked.
“The man reeks of guilt. Even if it's not as bad as Victin made it out to be, Summerset had to have done something criminal.” Jeremy spoke out, quickly looking back at the Marquess for a few seconds.
“He is, but we have no proof, its Summerset’s word against that of a commoner. A commoner who killed ten auramancers and tried to blow us all up just to kill Summerset. And most damaging is no longer alive to plead his case or give evidence.” Alexandra said.
“So, you are getting involved?” Jeremy asked.
The woman sighed, “Yes, I cannot just allow something like this to happen in front of me and not do anything about it. As the head of one of the three duchies, it is my responsibility to ensure that there is nothing harming the nation and its citizens.”
“And you want to be the one who beats up Summerset and throws him in jail if he truly is guilty?” Jeremy said knowingly.
Alexandra did not respond to her husband, climbing onto her horse and riding off the main road.
“I take that as a yes.” Jeremy said to himself, climbing onto his own horse and quickly riding after his wife.
Ivius took a breath, looking back at Summerset and his men before turning towards the crater where Victin once stood.
If Summerset is truly guilty, then the Duchess will get justice for you, young man. Despite her rough exterior, she is one that cares deeply about the people, especially the ones who cannot fight for themselves. Ivius thought, climbing onto his horse, and ridding off to catch up to the married couple.
~X~
That was too close! The Duchess almost found out! No, she didn’t, I mean, he sounded crazy, his words came off like the ramblings of a man on the edge, they will not be taken seriously, there is no evidence in Ravenfort to be found. Walter thought once he entered his family estate.
He did not want to call Alexandra, Jeremy, and Ivius for assistance dealing with the outlaws, desperately trying to keep the situation minimal, but no other lords or ladies had answered his calls on their communicators or flat out rejected him.
If they could kill ten of his best auramancers then it would have been a matter of time before they made their way to Sunrise Manor and tried to kill him and his family too.
He may not have seen the fight, but just looking at Victin and the bodies of his fallen men, only proved how terrifying the Demon Duchess, her husband Jeremy the Hurricane, and the infamous Berserker Mage truly were.
Walter only hoped that this incident would be forgotten by the trio, that they would write this off as the actions of mad men, pursuing it all no further.
He could not get caught, he refused to be caught, as he could not bear the shame, ridicule, and the possible loss of station that would come with his dealings being made public.
